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Public Safety Initiatives (Continued) and Briefing on "Citizens' Engagement Advisory and Review Commission" and "Citizens' Police Advisory Group"
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This topic originally appeared on City Council's special session agenda for August 10, 2016. Due to time constraints, all of the information couldn't be presented. As such, on September 14, 2016, during City Council's work session, Synethia White will give the Youth Violence Prevention presentation which will be followed by the presentations on the remaining 21st Century Policing Pillars as follows:
Pillar Three: Technology and Social Media - Lt. John Harrison for Maj. Kim Brighton
Pillar Four: Community Policing and Crime Reduction - Maj. Orrin Gallop
Pillar Six: Officer Wellness and Safety - Capt. Karen Alba for Capt. Chris Thornton
Please note that some of the presenters have changed since August 10, 2016, due to other staffing commitments.
Additionally, in accordance with the recommendations of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing regarding citizen engagement, staff is recommending that city council rename one council appointed commission and establish another council appointed committee.
Currently council has established the Citizens Engagement and Advisory Commission (CEAC). The role of this commission is, when called on by council, to perform review of all incidents that threaten to divide the community (police and non-police). While staff is not proposing a change in the role of CEAC, staff does propose a name change to make it clearer to the public the role that CEAC plays. The proposal is to change the name to the “Citizen Engagement Advisory and Review Commission” or “CEARC.” This commission would fulfill the role found in recommendation 2.8 of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing.
Staff also recommends the establishment of the “Citizens’ Police Advisory Group” or “CPAG.” This group would be in response to recommendation 4.5.3 of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing. The group would be composed of council appointees representing a diverse cross-section of stakeholders in the community (i.e. Civil Rights Organizations, Neighborhood Commission, Faith Based Community, Military, etc.). The role of this group would be to advise the Hampton Police Division on crime prevention strategies and agency policies from a community perspective. The group would also provide input on policing operational issues from a community perspective.